What Does The Bible Say About Abstaining From Meat? (35 Bible Verses)
With various dietary practices and beliefs, the question of abstaining from meat can arise for many believers. The Bible offers insights into dietary choices, including periods of abstention. Whether for religious observance or personal conviction, let’s examine what the Bible says about abstaining from meat and how it can impact our spiritual journey.
What Does The Bible Say About Abstaining From Meat
Genesis 1:29 – God’s Original Design for Food
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’”
Genesis 9:3 – Permission to Eat Meat
“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Leviticus 11:2-3 – Animals Considered Clean and Unclean
“Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.’”
Leviticus 11:9 – Animals Not to Eat
“Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.”
Proverbs 23:20 – Warning Against Gluttony
“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.”
Romans 14:2 – The Weak Eats Only Vegetables
“One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.”
Romans 14:6 – Those Who Abstain Do It for the Lord
“Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
1 Corinthians 8:8 – Food Does Not Bring Us Closer to God
“But food does not bring us nearer to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”
1 Corinthians 10:25-26 – Eat Whatever Is Sold
“Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’”
1 Corinthians 10:31 – Eat and Drink to God’s Glory
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Timothy 4:1-5 – False Teachers Forbid Certain Foods
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
Colossians 2:16-17 – Do Not Let Food Be Your Judge
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
1 Timothy 4:3-4 – Liars Forbid Marriage and Certain Foods
“They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
Hebrews 9:10 – Concerning Food and Drink Regulations
“They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”
Matthew 15:11 – What Defiles a Person
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Mark 7:15 – Nothing Outside a Person Can Defile Them
“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
Acts 10:13-15 – Rise, Peter; Kill and Eat
“Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’”
Acts 10:28 – God Shows No Partiality
“He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.’”
Romans 14:14 – Nothing is Unclean in Itself
“I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.”
1 Corinthians 10:27 – Eat Whatever Is Set Before You
“If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.”
1 Corinthians 10:28 – Eat Asking No Questions
“But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.”
1 Corinthians 10:29-30 – Freedom Must Not Cause Stumbling
“I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?”
1 Corinthians 10:31 – Do All to the Glory of God
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:32 – Give No Offense
“Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:33 – Seek Others’ Good, Not Your Own
“Even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”
1 Corinthians 8:4-8 – Knowledge Puffs Up, Love Builds Up
“So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and that ‘There is no God but one.’ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”
Galatians 2:11-13 – Peter and Hypocrisy
“When Cephas came to Antioch,I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.”
1 Timothy 4:1 – False Teachers Promote Abstinence
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Hebrews 9:10 – Food and Drink Regulations Temporary
“They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”
Peter 2:3 – False Teachers Exploit with False Words
“In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
1 Timothy 4:2 – False Teachers Influence through Hypocrisy
“Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”
1 Timothy 4:13 – Attributes of False Teachers
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
Titus 1:14 – Jewish Fables and Commandments of Men
“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”
Mark 16:15 – Go into All the World and Preach the Gospel
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”
John 17:17 – God’s Word is Truth
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
Acts 10:48 – Baptism Follows Salvation
“So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”
Colossians 2:16 – Respect for Sabbath and Festivals
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 – Imitate Me as I Imitate Christ
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Colossians 4:5 – Watch How You Act Toward Outsiders
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
Hebrews 13:9 – Do Not Be Carried Away by Diverse Teachings
“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.”
Galatians 5:13 – Serve One Another Humbly in Love
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate to One Another
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Titus 1:7 – Leaders Godly and Above Reproach
“Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.”
Hebrews 13:7 – Follow the Example of Your Leaders
“Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
